IT will be remembered by many for the marriage of William and Kate, but today also witnessed the establishment of Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson as a partnership.

The penultimate day of Hampshire’s LV County Championship match against Somerset began with Marcus Trescothick reaching the fourth double hundred of his career, but Adams and Dawson fought back during the afternoon.

After Trescothick’s 227 had helped Somerset make 513, a first-innings lead of 228, Hampshire’s new opening pair wiped out most of that deficit after beginning the rearguard shortly after lunch.

Adams and Dawson surpassed their first-innings stand of 136 by putting on 181 in 50 overs, batting themselves into Hampshire’s record books in doing so.

They are the first Hampshire pair to share twin century stands at The Rose Bowl and only four others have achieved the feat for the county: Neil McCorkell & Johnnie Arnold (v Kent at Northlands Rd in 1938); Paul Terry & Chris Smith (v Lancashire at Bournemouth in 1983 and v Sussex at Hove in 1991); Matt Hayden & Jason Laney (v Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 1997) and Michael Carberry & Michael Brown (v Worcestershire at Kidderminster in 2007).

Barry Richards and Gordon Greenidge, as regal an opening partnership as Hampshire have ever produced, are conspicuous by their absence from that list.

Adams was out for 73 midway through the final session, but Dawson ensured that he will begin the final day unbeaten on a career-best 103, with Hampshire 212 for two – just 16 runs behind.

If Carberry was available, Dawson would probably not even be playing but he has made the most of his opportunity.

Encouragingly, Carberry was able to field as a substitute for the hamstrung Johann Myburgh but when he does fully recover from his illness, and everyone hopes that will be soon, he may struggle to win back his opening berth.

Having made 91 in the first innings, Dawson ensured he did not miss out on the second first-class century of his career.

He was in the nervous nineties when Adams, caught at short leg, and Myburgh (0), lbw, were dismissed in one Arul Suppiah over.

But he kept his composure, reaching his maiden Rose Bowl hundred from 183 balls with a square cut against slow left armer Suppiah for his 16th four.

It is nearly three years since Dawson became Hampshire’s youngest centurion, aged 18, with his only other Championship hundred, against Notts at Trent Bridge.

His second century is another significant rite of passage, even if it was made on a slow, flat wicket.

After receiving a standing ovation from his teammates, Dawson ensured he was still there at the close.

Sadly, Neil McKenzie did not. The former Somerset batsman was out for 20 to the last ball of the day, a notable first scalp for debutant off-spinner Alex Barrow.

Danny Briggs is another Hampshire star fresh-faced enough to be a Westminster Abbey choirboy.

But he celebrated the end of his teens (he is 20 tomorrow) by taking four of the last five wickets to fall after Somerset resumed on 405 for five.

Briggs finished with a Championship-best five for 79 from 38 overs, an outstanding effort against the pre-season title favourites.